The Ministry of Agriculture is projecting enhanced food production in Homa Bay County with the completion of a Ksh 164 million dam to support irrigation.
While visiting the project, Irrigation Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho said Okundi dam which is expected to be complete by June this year will benefits hundreds of residents in Rambira location in Karachuonyo Constituency.
Kimotho said the project, which has two dams, has a capacity of holding 150 million litres of water.
The PS said the government will similarly build the capacity of the local community to maximize the utilization of the water abstracted from the dams.
He said the project would provide clean water for over 20,000 livestock and irrigate over 100 acres of farmland throughout the year.
He encouraged farmers to form cooperatives to assist them with market linkages so that the expected increased agricultural output transforms the local economy as envisaged in the Bottom up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
“This is a climate resilient project which will impound water which would otherwise cause floods downstream and be discharged to Lake Victoria,” he noted.
Kimotho said that the project would supply water for drip irrigation to ensure every drop counts adding that an acre under irrigation could generate up to half a million shillings per year for a farmer.
Area Member of Parliament Adipo Akuome told the locals to support and own the project to uplift their living standards.
He told the project contractor to ensure those working on the project were paid well and on time.
Akuome said that the project was behind schedule and urged the contractor to speed up the works.
Local farmers expressed concerns that baboons and monkeys were destroying their produce and urged the Kenya Wildlife Service to intervene and cage the animals for relocation as well as compensate the affected farmers.
